OAO was established in 2005 in Vancouver by Omer Arbel, and has since grown to include a small team of both generalists and specialists from very different backgrounds, organized as a collaborative studio. Clients include private individuals, manufacturing companies, fine craft focused ateliers, property developers and institutions of various sorts.
Surrounded on all sides by a sweeping Canadian hayfield, the 23.2 House is an angular ode to rural life. Out of “respect for the beams and their history,” Designer Omer Arbel insisted that not a single reclaimed plank—still marked by nailheads and chipped paint—be cut nor altered during construction, which gave the home its striking geometric motif. It’s what he refers to as the “alchemy between material and process,” which also inspired the textured concrete walls and crisply milled walnut furniture.
